Last Summer's Canoe Trip

[RaceBannon]

Well, I've wanted to share these photos for a long time now, but until last night, I had no idea how to properly post decent pictures on the forum. I finally figured in out, so here they are.

Last July, I went on a brief, solo canoe trip on Lake Ozette which is a large lake near the coast in northwest Washington. It's about five hours from Seattle. I've gone out there a few times, but this was the first trip where I made an effort to take some pictures. I planned to be out there for two nights, but only stayed for one because the wind was strong enough during the day to make paddling pretty tough. Plus, there are so few people on the lake, if any, that if you get into trouble, you're in big trouble.

I thought you guys might enjoy the photos.

Starting at the Ranger station boat launch.



Heading South down the lake.



Spotted this guy while passing aptly named "Eagle Point".




After rounding Eagle Point, I headed West into Ericson's Bay. Since the wind was out of the West, My arms were pretty happy to get to shore.



The woods out there are beautiful, but the tree line is so dense that you can't see the lake once inside. I opted to camp on the the lakeshore.




This is my Whelen lean-to made by a company called Tentsmiths. Except for winter, I'll never go back to a tent.



My view



Preparing to make dinner.






Dinner





dessert




Evening view



Morning



Breakfast



Heading out



Hadn't decided to head home yet, so I took my tent poles with me.



Knowing that the wind would pick up again, I went back to the boat launch and headed home.

 

[Faulkner]

Cool pictures. Looks like you had a great trip, I like your camp setup.

I love floating and camping. Last spring my two sons and I took a kayak/camping trip on the Buffalo National River in the Arkansas Ozarks. We made memories and had a blast!

 

[Slim Chance]

Very nice!

 

[RaceBannon]

Cool pictures. Looks like you had a great trip, I like your camp setup.

I love floating and camping. Last spring my two sons and I took a kayak/camping trip on the Buffalo National River in the Arkansas Ozarks. We made memories and had a blast!

Looks great. It was a fun trip though I wish I could have stayed longer. I first went out to lake Ozette five years ago for two nights and the water was like glass the entire time. I stayed on a small island at the south end of the lake about five miles from the put in. Except for the occasional duck or loon, it was silent. I realized that those few days were the longest I'd ever gone without hearing another human voice.
It was a nice experience.

 

[gunfish]

The Wabash at Richvalley, IN.

 

[Cpo1944]

My hobby for the last few years is paddling the local rivers. It has gotten to the point now that I never unload my canoe from my truck. The photo is the New River near Dublin VA.

 

[rockdawg]

Awesome pic's. Looks like a great time.

 

[Mule Packer]

Here's a pic from my last summer's trip with sons and grandsons. That's my 9-year old grandson in the canoe with his dad. His smile says it all. I love canoes.

 

[Cooter Brown]

Race, that's fantastic. I love the old fashioned kit--the Duluth packs, Whelen tent and stripper canoe.

And of course the classic dessert.

Tell us about the canoe please...

I've made several week long wilderness canoe trips--not many better ways to spend time! Of course my old Mad River Duck Hunter is not near the classic yours is!

I hope you have fair weather next time out!

 

[walkin jack]

Very interesting report and great pics. I enjoyed it a lot. Looks like you have a pretty good system and set up. I know it takes awhile to get that like you want it. I know because I was an avid beach camper for several decades. You have to go through a trial and error process to fine tune things. Once you get that done it's smooth sailing.

I love the idea of a canoe or a kayak. It that had gotten popular 30 or 40 years ago I might have jumped all over it. But these days my boat wants to have a motor on it. These old shoulders would put up quite a fuss if I tried all that paddlin'

Here's a few shots of my beach camps. All of these are on the beach at Surfside Texas on Follett's Island. Just across on the other side of San Luis Pass from Galveston. It's a great beach and never crowded like Galveston.

 

[Badger Matt]

Great photo essay! Thanks for sharing.

 

[mtgianni]

Nice country I hope that you can do it again.

 

[Jessie]

Great pics everyone. I now must dust my canoe off and do the same. Been too long. Maybe the James river headwaters.

 

[snubbyfan]

The most memorable canoe trip was one I wasn't on. There's lotsa camping and hiking areas around here along with a nice quiet river. There's resorts, state forests, wild lands, federal parklands and private camping areas as well as a clothing optional resort.
One weekend my wife and I were camping down by the river. We parked and walked our stuff about a half mile to the campground. She went back to the truck to get more stuff and I started setting up camp.
I heard a sound out on the river and turned to look. I saw 4 canoes full of naked people paddling down the river. I waved, they waved back and went back to paddling. I thought, "now there's an interesting thing" and went back to setting up camp.

 

[RaceBannon]

Race, that's fantastic. I love the old fashioned kit--the Duluth packs, Whelen tent and stripper canoe.

And of course the classic dessert.

Tell us about the canoe please...

I've made several week long wilderness canoe trips--not many better ways to spend time! Of course my old Mad River Duck Hunter is not near the classic yours is!

I hope you have fair weather next time out!

I bought the canoe a few years ago from a women who said that her parents bought it after they were married in the late '50's. The factory decals are long gone, but I'm pretty sure that it is a Chestnut Loon which was apparently the economy version of the Chestnut Pal. Until I bought it, it was hanging from the rafters of a covered porch in a house overlooking Puget Sound. It was really just decoration. I took it home and put a few coats of varnish in it and put it back into action.

I was a bit nervous about buying it because I didn't know if these cedar/canvas boats were durable at all. This really isn't canoe country out here so there aren't too many folks who can fix it for you if you damage it. I haven't had any problems. I try to avoid rocks or sharp gravel on the bottom and I wear rubber boots or knee high Bean boots when I'm in it so I can out get my weight out before I beach it. I just treat it with respect and I haven't had any damage beyond the occasional scratch.

As far as the old fashioned gear, it started as an aesthetic thing for me. Old gear made out of natural materials with subdued colors just look better to me out in the sticks than the bright, plastic, modern stuff. But now, the more I've used it, I've learned that a lot of it is just plain better than modern stuff. It may be heavier, but in a canoe, that can be irrelevant.

That canvas lean-to is very durable and should last a long time. Ten or so years ago, I bought an 1940's Dietz lantern and went online to learn how to trim a wick and to use kerosene instead of lamp oil and was honestly shocked at how much light it produced. Now I have a collection of them and between those and candle lanterns, they're what I use.
We get so much rain out here that I always take a small stove with me, but when I'm able to build a fire it's much more fun to cook with that instead of the stove.


just a few more photos








These were taken last Spring up at Diablo Lake in the north Cascades. This place is a bit different. It's in the middle of nowhere, but the North Cascades Highway runs right through it and there is an extensive camp ground here. I go early before it's really open for the season and it's usually pretty quiet.









This is Tucker. He decided that he didn't like the boat-in camp site that I'd chosen, so while I was unpacking, he jumped back in the boat, letting me know he wanted to leave. I obliged him and went back to the main site where he could run around better.













If you like canoe camping, take a look at a website called Northwest Woodsman.com. He has some great videos there and his website is the reason I ended up buying my first canoe.

 

[walkin jack]

Spectacular!!! And I know that having Tucker along is just the icing on the cake. He looks like he enjoys it as much as you do. Some beautiful scenery and your pics are excellent!

 

[Cooter Brown]

Fantastic--but you buried the lead by not having Tucker in the first post!

That's a fine old boat--with proper care a canvas stripper can last a long time, and can be restored. I have boat jealousy.

Looking forward to the photo essay of your next trip.

 

[Eaglestroker]

I loved your first post, but Tucker really brought another level! The misses and I kayak but I've been leaning towards buying a canoe so that the dogs can come, too. I'm afraid 2 adults & two full sized dogs plus gear would make for a right crowded load. I'll agree that I have boat envy as well